St Kieran Newsletter Term 1, Week 4 - 27th February 2025

Principal's Message

St Francis of Assisi 
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. 
Where there is hatred, let me bring love. 
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon. 
Where there is discord, let me bring union. 
Where there is error, let me bring truth. 
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. 
Where there is despair, let me bring hope. 
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. 
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. 
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek 
to be consoled as to console, 
to be understood as to understand, 
to be loved as to love, 
for it is in giving that one receives, 
it is in self-forgetting that one finds, 
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven, 
it is in dying that one awakens to eternal life. 
Amen. 

One of the new initiatives at St Kieran this year is Faction Friday, a time for students to deepen their understanding of their House Saints and celebrate their significance through learning and worship. 

This term, we focus on St. Francis of Assisi, Patron of the Francis Faction. Known for his humility, love of nature, and devotion to a simple life, St. Francis continues to inspire us to live with kindness and gratitude. 

February 24 holds special meaning as the Feast of St. Matthias, the day in 1208 when St. Francis heard the Gospel reading that shaped his mission. In class, all students will explore his life and teachings before Francis Faction students gather for a Faction Friday Mass to honour their Patron Saint and strengthen their faith and community bonds. 

We look forward to seeing the spirit of St. Francis come to life in our school! 

Best wishes and take care. 

Mr Anthony Davis 
Assistant Principal 
anthony.davis@cewa.edu.au 

School Calendar

A reminder to all families to continue to check the school calendar on our website for dates and events that are coming up during the term. We have a public holiday on Monday 3rd March and return to school on Tuesday 4th March.

Kindy 2026 Enrolments

We are accepting Kindy Enrolment's for 2026 and will later this term start organising interviews for these students to start at St Kieran in 2026. Please don’t leave this until the last minute as we have many people we could not accommodate in 2025. All parents need to submit your application and make sure you have your children enrolled at St Kieran Catholic Primary School. 

If you have any questions or would like clarification please ring the school administration. 

ACROD Parking

The City of Stirling Rangers visited the school recently regarding our parking, and in particular our ACROD Bays. These bays will be a focus for the Rangers moving forward. The below information was sent to the school  regarding these ACROD Bays and their use.
 
The City of Stirling strictly enforces the requirement that ONLY vehicles displaying a valid Australian ACROD permit may stop or park in an ACROD bay.
 Please note that any vehicle observed by a City of Stirling authorised officer parked or stopped in an ACROD bay without a valid Australian ACROD permit may be issued an infringement notice of $500.
 
I would strongly encourage all parents to abide by the parking regulations as set down by the City of Stirling.
 
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Rangers at the City of Stirling.

Servite College

Just a reminder to all of our St Kieran families you must get your children's applications into Servite College nice and early. Please don’t wait until your child is in the middle years of primary school as it may be too late. Families need to ensure these are submitted to the college separately, as St Kieran CPS and Servite College are separate schools. 

St Kieran Family Night

Just a reminder that we have the Kieran Connect Family Night next Friday 7th March from 5.30pm - 8pm. Please note this is not a school staff event and children will need to be supervised by their parents or families. All families are welcome to come along!  

If you can help out on the night please let Kieran Connect know through their email kieranconnect@stkieran.wa.edu.au 

School Attendance

Academic success and engagement are intricately linked with school attendance. We ask parents to set the expectation of daily attendance, establish good morning routines that ensure students arrive to school on time and try to ensure all family holidays are booked during the school holiday period.   

 All absentee notifications to be sent via Schoolzine App, St Kieran Absentee Line (08) 63832600 option 1 or emailed to admin@stkieran.wa.edu.au. Please ensure that any absence is communicated promptly to the school to ensure that your child is accounted for.  

Communication

Our staff are committed to the best interests of your child and value the relationships they have with both students and parents. For any matters, communication should be made directly with the child’s teacher. This may be referred to the Assistant Principal or Principal on a needs basis.  

Staff will respond to parent concerns in a manner that takes into consideration their workload and teaching hours when receiving the communication. Please be aware that there is no expectation for staff to check or respond to electronic communication outside of school hours, over the weekend or during school holidays. 

The staff at St Kieran are very approachable and are very easy to contact - each staff member has their own professional email address firstname.surname@cewa.edu.au for example daine.burnett@cewa.edu.au that you can use or you are also welcome to call the office and leave a message for them to return your call. 

St Kieran Feast Day

St. Kieran, one of Ireland’s earliest saints, is known for his deep faith, wisdom, and dedication to learning. Born in the 6th century, he founded Clonmacnoise, which became a great hub of education and spirituality. St. Kieran was admired for his kindness, humility, and commitment to helping others grow in knowledge and faith. His legacy continues to inspire us today, reminding us to seek wisdom, show kindness, and strengthen our community through learning and service. 

On Friday, March 7, students are invited to wear Free Dress in celebration of St Kieran Feast Day. While St Kieran’s Feast Day falls on Wednesday, March 5, this coincides with Ash Wednesday this year. As a result, we will be commemorating the Feast Day on Friday, March 7 instead. 

As part of the celebration, students will attend Mass at St Kieran Parish at 9:00 AM. 

We kindly remind parents that Free Dress must be school-appropriate. This means: 

* Comfortable, modest clothing suitable for a school setting. 

* Tops with sleeves (no singlets or crop tops). 

* Shorts or skirts of an appropriate length. 

* Enclosed sports shoes must be worn. 

Each child is asked to bring along a gold coin donation for Caritas on this day. 

What is Caritas? 

Caritas is a Catholic, global humanitarian organisation dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities through aid, development, and advocacy. With a strong focus on social justice, Caritas works to combat poverty, provide emergency relief, and empower people through education and sustainable programs. Their efforts extend to healthcare, disaster response, and initiatives that promote dignity and resilience in struggling communities worldwide. 

To learn more about their work or support their mission, visit www.caritas.org.au 

Ash Wednesday - the beginning of the Lenten Season

As Catholics and Easter People, the season of Lent is a sacred time for reflection, renewal, and preparation as we journey towards Easter. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this season, reminding us of our call to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time to refocus our hearts on faith and service, drawing closer to God and one another. 

Staff and students will gather for an Ash Wednesday Liturgy in the Undercover Area at 9:00 AM to receive the ashes and begin this important season together as a school community. 

May this Lenten journey be one of faith, hope, and transformation for us all. 

NAPLAN 2025

NAPLAN is a National Literacy and Numeracy assessment that students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday 12th March and finishes on Monday 24th March, 2025.  

The test dates for St Kieran are: 12th,13th and 14th March, with catch up sessions in the following week.  

All NAPLAN tests must be completed in a sequence, as stated by ACARA (The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority).  

Writing - Reading - Conventions of Language - Numeracy. 

All St Kieran students will sit the 'Writing' test on Wednesday 12th March. All students must have a fully charged iPad each day and a set of headphones.  

If you have any questions please email Sacha Doepel.  sacha.doepel@cewa.edu.au 

For more information about NAPLAN https://nap.edu.au/ 

St Kieran Run Club 2025

Start Date: Wednesday 5^th March

When: 7.30am – 8.00am every Wednesday

Where: Grenville Reserve (Where the Sports Carnival is held)

Clothing: Running attire is recommended, with students changing back into uniform when they return to school.

Supervision: Students will be walked back to school by supervising teachers at 8.00am.

Sign in: Students will need to sign-in when they arrive each morning.

Year groups: Year 3 – 6 ONLY

Wet Weather/Cancellation: Parents will be notified by email in the event of a cancellation/wet weather.

Prizes: Ribbons awarded for students completing 10km, 25km, 50km throughout the year.

Please send Mr Taylor an email with an expression of interest (matthew.taylor@cewa.edu.au)

Thanks,
Matt Taylor
Physical Education Teacher

Swimming Carnival

Dear Parents / Guardians

The 2025 Faction Swimming Carnival will be held at Bayswater Waves on Friday the 21st of March. The carnival is for students in Year 4 - 6 only.

More information regarding times and details of the day will be sent out closer to the date. 

At the carnival, students compete in races based on their swimming level and only compete against students in a similar level.

We will be using these levels to place each student into the appropriate races based on the swimming and water safety continuum from the Department of Education.

The following table outlines the races each level will compete in.

If your child is new to St Kieran in 2025 or has completed swimming lessons in the holidays, could you please send their certificate through to matthew.taylor@cewa.edu.au. All certificates must be in by the 24th of February. 

Kind Regards,

Matthew Taylor
Physical Education Teacher

CEWA and CSPWA Letter for Parents/Caregivers

St Patrick's Festival WA

Stirling Junior Football Club

Discover Mercedes College - Open Day 25 March 2025

Mercedes College is excited to welcome prospective students and families to our Open Day on Tuesday, 25 March, at either 9am or 1pm.

Conveniently located in Perth CBD, join us to explore our campus, meet our passionate teachers, and learn about the exceptional academic, pastoral, and co-curricular programs we offer as the oldest girls' school in Western Australia.

For more details and to book your tour, please visit www.mercedes.wa.edu.au/enrolments/Open-Day or contact Enrolments on 9323 1340.
We look forward to seeing you there!